Long before Meagan McClelland ever stepped foot on the pitch at Rutgers, head coach Mike O'Neill heard plenty about the promising young keeper from his hometown of Kearny.

Even when McClelland was just 12 years old, O'Neill didn't just see the talent to be great, but the same values they both shared and learned from growing up in the working class Hudson County town better known by the moniker of "Soccertown USA."

Now a freshman, McClelland has developed into one of college soccer's top keepers. McClelland, who arrived with high expectations and the unenviable task of replacing All-American keeper Casey Murphy in goal, responded with a stellar rookie campaign. This fall, McClelland earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, was a Third-Team All Big Ten selection and led the conference in goals-against average and shutouts.

Her play in net has been instrumental in Rutgers qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for a seventh consecutive season. The Scarlet Knights open the tournament at Duke, ranked No. 9 in the country, in the first round tomorrow at 7 p.m.

"The foundation of that (success) is a hard day's work, and I think that's one of the things that makes Meagan extremely special," said O'Neill. "No one gave Meagan anything. She's worked for everything that she got.

"I am proud of where I'm from and I would never be in the position I am if it wasn't for Kearny. I learned a lot about the game, a lot about being humble and a lot about putting a hard day's work in, and the value of team and friendship. For me, I see that Meagan has a lot of those qualities that I was raised on."

Those qualities have allowed to McClelland to thrive at all levels of soccer, whether it was on the club circuit with Players Development Academy (which O'Neill is the Girls Director of Coaching), Kearny High School or representing the United States Youth National Teams.

Even though soccer has taken her around the world, McClelland admitted there were some nerves at the beginning of the season, in particular with the task of being the lead communicator for Rutgers' veteran backline of seniors Kenie Wright and Madison Pogarch, and juniors Chantelle Swaby and Amanda Visco.

"If I'm being honest, I was so nervous at the beginning of the season, probably more nervous than I've ever been," said McClelland, who sought out advice from Murphy, who she knew from workouts together with PDA and the U.S. National Team. "I don't know why, maybe because it was a whole new experience, a whole new team, I still felt like I had to prove myself.

"After the first couple of games, I definitely got used to it. I played like myself and was able to bring a lot to the table and play my game."

McClelland, O'Neill and goalkeeper coach Lubos Ancin pointed to late September as the turning point for her season. O'Neill and Ancin noticed a change in her after giving up a late goal in Rutgers' 2-1 overtime win over Maryland on Sept. 22.

Four days later, McClelland and Rutgers played a scoreless draw at No. 22 ranked Wisconsin.

"I would say the Wisconsin game (was the turning point)," McClelland said. "I didn't feel like I started playing my best and with the most confidence until that game."

Starting with that game, McClelland yielded just four goals in nine contests. Six of those nine games went into overtime as Rutgers went 5-2-2 as it went on to finish second in the Big Ten regular season standings, its best result in program history.

"I think Meagan is a well-rounded goalkeeper. There are many aspects of her game which are really good from distribution, to shot stopping, to reading the game, to communication and leadership," Ancin said. "That's what always stood out to me. It's not just one thing that stands out about her. It's so many things that make her a quality goalkeeper."

During that span, McClelland was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week (Oct. 9 and Oct. 25) and Big Ten Rookie of the Week (Oct. 2 and Oct. 25).

McClelland looks well on her way to joining Murphy, Erin Guthrie and Saskia Webber as some of the great keepers in Rutgers history. That doesn't mean McClelland is even close to satisfied yet, saying "I'm still at the beginning of my career, I have a lot to learn, a lot more to experience. Hopefully I continue to play and get better."

It's a mindset that not only has allowed McClelland to achieve all that she has already in her career, but also reminds O'Neill of the small, tight-knit soccer community he's proud to say he's a part of.

"When they say her name and where she's from, I'm really proud of that," O'Neill said. "Being from Kearny, I'm really proud of all that Meagan is accomplishing."